Riding-saddletree.



S. S. ADAMS. RIDING SADDLETREE. APPLICATION FILED APR.1, 191a Patented Sept. 29, 1914.

I! NIIA'NIS F575; (0..PHO110-LITHQ,WASHINGTON, 11. v

UNITED s'rATEs PATENT orn oE. SAMUEL s. ADAMS, ornanrronn, conivncricutr, nssrencn To rein mawtlt rnmeron coMrANx'or nnn rroen, connnc'rroor, A conroaiirrou or con NECTIGUT.

To all whom itmay concern: H

Be it known that I, SAMUEL S. ADA S, a subject of the King of Great Britain, residing at Hartford, in the county of Hartford and State of Connecticut, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Riding- Saddletrees, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to the construction of the tree of a riding saddle of the United States Army or McClellan type. These trees are usually made of wood.

The object of this invention is to construct a tree for a saddle of this type in such manner that the use of the ordinary wooden tree may be dispensed with and saddle provided which is sufliciently firm and rigid to properly fit the back of a horse and yet willhave the necessary yielding to insure an easy seat for the rider WltllOllt danger of chafing the horse, or of warping, twisting, cracking and permanently losing its correct shape. This object is attained by constructing theside bars of the tree of leather with pockets containing spring steel strips, these parts and the pommel and cantle being put together in such manner that the desired rigidity, durability and flexibility are attained without theemployment of an'infiexible and hard wooden tree which is liable to warp, twist and crack.

Figure 1 of the accompanying drawings shows a central longitudinal section of a saddle tree which embodies this invention; Fig. 2 is a view looking up at the under side of the tree. Fig. 8 is a view looking at the front end of the tree. Fig. 41 shows a transverse section taken on the plane indicated by the dotted line 4% on Fig. 1, lookingin the direction indicated by the arrows.

The side bars of this tree are made of an upper sheet 1 and an under sheet 2 of stiff cow-hide or similar tough leather cut to the required outline and molded and stitched to the desired shape. In pockets formed by longitudinal rows of stitching 3 between these layers of leather are inserted thin fiat strips of spring sheet steel 41, there being preferably two strips which extend from end to end in each side bar. The leather pieces forming the side bars of the tree are stitched together along the outer edges and along the edges of the central or ridge slot 5, and between the layers along the seat of the sad dle a small amount of filling material, 6,

Specification of Letters Patent. Patent d S Application filedApril 1, 1913. sen in 758,156, g

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I which be hair or pieces of scrap leather may be placed to pad out the seat to the desired outline and also providethe necessary cushioning material. l The leatlierside bars near the front are connected by the pommel core 7, which may be inthe form of awooden bridge that arches between the side bars. In front of the pommel core it is desirable to join the side bars by means of a thin spring steel pommel arch 8, the ends of which are riveted to the upper surfaces of the front" ends.

ofthe leather pieces. Near the rear the side bars are connected by the cantle core 9 which is shaped to the necessary outline out of wood. Back of the cantle core the ends of the side bars are joined by means of a thin spring steel cantle arch 10, the ends of which are riveted to the upper surface of the rear ends of the leather pieces. The upper sheet of leather 1 extends up over the pommel core at the front and is stitched to a pommel facing 11, and extends up over the cantle at the rear, and is stitched to a cantle facing 12. The stirrup strap loops 13 are fastened to theside bars on each side just back of the pommel by sheet metal strips 14. A tree built in this way with side bars of leather is always suflicientlyyielding to conform to conditions ofuse, as the configurationof the rider and size of the horse. It gives slightly with the movements when in use andthus affords comfort to the rider and to the horse and yet it is rigid enough to retain its approximate shape. The reinforcing strips of spring steel in the pockets in the side bars while permitting this yielding insure a resumption of normal shape. This tree will not get out of form,

for as the side bars are not constructed of wood there is no tendency for it to shrink and swell or warp and split. The tree is light in weight,si1nple to manufacture, and consequently is cheap as well as comfortable, durable and serviceable.

The invention claimed is: p

1. A McClellan saddle-tree having side bars constructed of stitched layers of leather with pockets containing interposed spring steel strips, a high arched wooden ponnnelcore joining said barsashort distance back from the front end, and a wide arched. wooden cantle-core joining said bars a short distance infront of the rear end, the upper leather layers of the side bars extending Q i Y 1,111,817

upwardly ever the pomm the front ends, an arched eantle extending upward from and joining the side bars near the rear ends, a sheet metal pominel arch piece joining the side bars in front of the ponnnel and a sheet 111eta1eant1e arch joining the side bars in back of the euntle.

SAMUEL S. ADAMS. Witnesses HARRY R. WILLIAMS, JOSEPHINE M. STREMPFER.

Copies of this patent may be obtainedfor five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents,

Washington, D. C. 

